WITH more than 1,400 murders in Jamaica in 2021, dancehall artiste Chris Tuggaz is concerned about the spike in murders to start off the year 2022.

“A lot more can be done and it’s sad to hear the numbers regardless, and truth be told, crime is really out of control and the leaders are the only ones who are capable of manoeuvring efforts to get those numbers down,” he said.

According to statistics released by the police, there were 37 deaths in the first eight days of 2022, January 1 to January 8, 2022, a number which represented a 32 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year.

In the meantime, the artiste is promoting Beverly Hills, which he hopes will establish him as one of the top dancehall artistes in the game. The visuals for the project were released on his ChrisTuggazVevo channel four months ago.

“The inspiration behind the song is the females of Jamaica and it wasn’t hard to come up with because we have the most beautiful women here in Jamaica,” the artiste, whose real name is Christopher Anthony Bryan, said.

The single is co-produced by Magical Records and Anthony Hue Entertainment and can be found on all major online download platforms worldwide.

“This track is the epitome of what dancehall music should sound like for the Jamaican Diaspora and also beyond the shores of our great nation, to attract the international recognition that is imperative for us to continue the works of one’s who came before us,” he said

Born and raised in St Thomas, he attended St Thomas Technical High School. He got involved in music in 2012 after a close friend called “T” had a lyrical feud and he did a grimy song in that lyrical “altercation”.

He did his first official single, Don’t Know, that was released commercially three years ago.

Released on Flyydiewiseproduction Record Label, the song helped him solidify a decent underground following. He then performed at multiple events, including a high-energy cameo at an all-white event at Sabina Park in Kingston. He also performed at a major charity event that was held at a prominent high school in St Thomas for aid in the surgery of a student.

“I’ve been a lover of music since I was a kid, so I grew up listening to different genres, it was inevitable as I could remember my father having to give me a proper beating as a kid to leave his cassette radio as a kid,” he said.